Marching Forth!

" Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the fish's belly. 2 And he said: "I cried out to the LORD because of my affliction,  a nd He answered me. "Out of the belly of Sheol I cried,  a nd You heard my voice ." Jonah 2:1-2 The way God redeems affliction to lead people to seek God is a common theme lately in my Bible reading and study.  Jonah went from sleeping in the belly of a ship to crying out to God in the belly of a great fish.  The belly of the fish was nothing like the comical pictures in children's Bibles complete with a bed and table but a terrifying mixture of absolute darkness, stench, pressure, and inescapable heat.  Strangled by weeds, sweating in discomfort, and gasping for foul air, Jonah had discovered and was trapped in a living hell. It was in the belly of the beast we read of Jonah praying to God for the first time as a result of his affliction.  He cried unto the LORD and was heard by the God who is gracious, mercifu...

Humans have a tendency to take things personally.  This leaning impacts our judgments and how we connect causes and effects with people.  For instance, when my child misbehaves in a public setting I might feel embarrassment or that his conduct reflects poorly upon me as a parent.  Since I take personally the responses of my child to discipline or am sensitive to the opinions of others, when I notice other people's kids misbehaving or throwing a tantrum what might I do?  Without thinking I put the same burden on other children as an honest reflection of their parents.  Our personal investment causes us to take things personally, good and bad.  Situations which have little or no bearing on us we have an ability to turn personal and speak presumptuously. In the last couple weeks I heard of cases of a well-known Christian author and music writer who have publicly announced they have either left the Christian faith or are "losing" faith.  These sorts of ...

I found a pleasant surprise in a book called Bible Word Search by William C. Gordon.  I'm not a big "word search"enthusiast, but it was the content which I found more compelling than the puzzle.  One of the word searches was a list of names of the Holy Spirit.  Gordon wrote, " The third person of the Trinity is referred to by many different names, both in the Old and the New Testament. "  In case you are curious, here is list from those provided: Spirit of adoption (Romans 8:15) Spirit of burning and judgment (Isaiah 11:2) Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9) Spirit of counsel, knowledge, might, and understanding (Isaiah 11:2) Spirit of faith (2 Corinthians 4:13) Spirit of the Father (Matthew 10:20) Spirit of glory (1 Peter 4:14) Spirit of God (Genesis 1:2) Spirit of grace (Hebrews 10:29) Spirit of holiness (Romans 1:4) Spirit of life (Romans 8:2) Spirit of love (2 Timothy 1:7) Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:13) Spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10) ...

"Bad company corrupts good habits," the scripture says, and an example of this is seen in the life of David.  David was a man after God's own heart, but he still was not impervious to the influences around him.  Though David did make mistakes as all men do, I admire how he received correction and did not repeat the same error. David had fled from his king and father-in-law Saul with 400 men who gathered themselves to him.  An organised band of this size could basically do what they wanted without reprisal, but they were honourable according to David's commands.  In the land of Judah they protected the sheep of a wealthy man named Nabal, and being in great need humbly asked for help.  Nabal answered the delegation David sent roughly with contempt.  He would provide no food but spouted insults. Upon hearing what Nabal said, David told his men to gird on their swords and prepare for a fight.  His plan was to go up to Nabal's house, take what he desir...